Eagles' Barkley 'finally' breaks out with 150 yards

PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley had a breakout performance against his former team Sunday, rushing for 150 yards and a touchdown to pace the Eagles in their 38-20 win over the New York Giants.

Barkley did not play in the final quarter because of a groin injury he sustained on a 28-yard run at the end of the third. Barkley indicated he might have played down the stretch if the score was closer, however, and didn't express any concern about being ready for the Packers game in Week 10 following the team's bye.

The reigning Offensive Player of the Year felt a sense of relief as he broke off a 65-yard touchdown run on the second play from scrimmage -- by far his longest run of the season. He reached over 21 miles per hour on the play, supporting his statement earlier in the week when he said he still feels like he's the same player from a season ago.

"I would lie to you if I said I wasn't like, 'Finally'," Barkley said of the TD run as he looked up to the ceiling.

Barkley's longest run entering the game was 18 yards. He averaged 53 rushing yards over the first seven games -- a far cry from the 125 yards per game in 2024.

But his routine didn't waver, and the same thing can be said for his belief, according to left tackle Jordan Mailata.

"He hasn't changed. I told him I was proud of him," Mailata said. "He's even hungrier than he was last year. He's not satisfied and he will never let the standard drop. That's probably a major reason why we got that running game going, because even though we haven't been successful, he's been that voice in the back of all the meetings, the most positive voice ever: 'We're going to get it going. I just know it.'"

It wasn't just Barkley. Tank Bigsby, acquired from the Jacksonville Jaguars in early September for a pair of draft picks, ended with 104 rushing yards on nine carries. It marks the first time the Eagles have had two backs record at least 100 rushing yards in the same game since 2013 against the Chicago Bears (Bryce Brown & LeSean McCoy).

It was the offense's most complete game of the season. Jalen Hurts ended 15-of-20 for 179 yards with four passing touchdowns and zero interceptions for a QB rating of 141.5, a week after posting a perfect 158.3 passer rating against the Minnesota Vikings.

"When you're able to run the ball efficiently like that, it kind of gives you a flow a bit," said Hurts, who was operating without standout receiver A.J. Brown (hamstring). "And so proud of how we were able to run the ball and I'm proud of how we were able to make plays and win in the red zone and take advantage of those opportunities there, too."

The results of the first matchup with the Giants "hurt," Mailata acknowledged. New York won 34-17 Week 6. The Eagles pride themselves on being the more physical team every week, and that matchup was the rare exception. This was an opportunity to "have a get-back game," as Mailata put it.

"It's always great to win. It's always great to beat a division rival," Barkley said. "For sure, we definitely saw how they celebrated when they beat us last time. But I think one of my favorite things Coach [Nick] Sirianni says is the revenge mindset lasts five minutes, then it goes back to your habits."